Sexual behavior is linked to changes in gut microbiome and systemic inflammation that lead to HIV-1 infection in men who have sex with men.

Pathogenic changes in gut microbial composition precede the onset of HIV-1 infection in men who have sex with men (MSM). This process is associated with increased levels of systemic inflammatory biomarkers and risk for AIDS development. Using mediation analysis framework, in this report we link the effects of unprotected receptive intercourse among MSM prior to primary HIV-1 infection to higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines sCD14 and sCD163 in plasma and a significant decrease in the abundance of A.

Attenuation of HIV-Specific T Cell Responses Among People with HIV on art Following Dipyridamole Treatment.

Twelve weeks of dipyridamole increased extracellular adenosine levels and decreased T cell activation in people with HIV. In this analysis, we investigated the effect of dipyridamole on HIV-specific T cell responses. We compared changes in Gag- and Env-specific T cell responses using intracellular cytokine staining, following 12 weeks of dipyridamole treatment vs placebo.

Persistence of a Skewed Repertoire of NK Cells in People with HIV-1 on Long-Term Antiretroviral Therapy.

HIV-1 infection greatly alters the NK cell phenotypic and functional repertoire. This is highlighted by the expansion of a rare population of FcRγ- NK cells exhibiting characteristics of traditional immunologic memory in people with HIV (PWH). Although current antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively controls HIV-1 viremia and disease progression, its impact on HIV-1-associated NK cell abnormalities remains unclear.

Shorter total sleep time is associated with lower CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratios in virally suppressed men with HIV.

Study Objectives: Although poor sleep quality is associated with lower CD4+ T cell counts among people living with HIV (PLWH), the association between objective sleep metrics and T lymphocyte subset counts is unknown. We evaluated the association between polysomnography (PSG) derived sleep metrics and T lymphocyte subpopulations in a cohort of men living with HIV.

Methods: Virally suppressed men living with HIV participating in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study underwent home overnight PSG.

Cholesterol Metabolism in Antigen-Presenting Cells and HIV-1 Trans-Infection of CD4 T Cells.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) provides an effective method for managing HIV-1 infection and preventing the onset of AIDS; however, it is ineffective against the reservoir of latent HIV-1 that persists predominantly in resting CD4 T cells. Understanding the mechanisms that facilitate the persistence of the latent reservoir is key to developing an effective cure for HIV-1. Of particular importance in the establishment and maintenance of the latent viral reservoir is the intercellular transfer of HIV-1 from professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs-monocytes/macrophages, myeloid dendritic cells, and B lymphocytes) to CD4 T cells, termed trans-infection.

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccines Induce Greater Complement Activation and Decreased Viremia and Nef Antibodies in Men With HIV-1.

Background: Immune dysregulation in people with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (PWH) persists despite potent antiretroviral therapy and, consequently, PWH tend to have lower immune responses to licensed vaccines. However, limited information is available about the impact of mRNA vaccines in PWH. This study details the immunologic responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccines in PWH and their impact on HIV-1.

Plasma Glycomic Markers of Accelerated Biological Aging During Chronic HIV Infection.

People with HIV (PWH) experience an increased vulnerability to premature aging and inflammation-associated comorbidities, even when HIV replication is suppressed by antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, the factors that contribute to or are associated with this vulnerability remain uncertain. In the general population, alterations in the glycomes of circulating IgGs trigger inflammation and precede the onset of aging-associated diseases.

Antigen Presenting Cell-Mediated HIV-1 Infection in the Establishment and Maintenance of the Viral Reservoir.

Despite potent antiretroviral therapy, an HIV-1 reservoir persists that represents a major barrier to a cure. Understanding the mechanisms by which the HIV-1 reservoir is established and maintained is critical for the discovery of effective treatments to significantly reduce or eliminate the viral reservoir. In addition to infection, in which HIV-1 directly infects target CD4 T cells, cell-to-cell transmission, or infection, can also occur.

Associations of HIV persistence, cigarette smoking, inflammation, and pulmonary dysfunction in people with HIV on antiretroviral therapy.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between measures of HIV persistence with antiretroviral therapy (ART) and cigarette smoking, systemic markers of inflammation, and pulmonary function. Retrospective study of 82 people with HIV (PWH) on ART for a median of 6.9 years (5.

Signature changes in gut microbiome are associated with increased susceptibility to HIV-1 infection in MSM.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) have been disproportionately affected by HIV-1 since the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, particularly in the USA and Europe. Compared to men who have sex with women (MSW), MSM have a distinct fecal microbiome regardless of HIV-1 infection. However, it is unclear whether the MSM-associated gut microbiome affects the susceptibility and progression of HIV-1 infection.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among People Living With HIV Compared With People Without HIV: Survey Results From the MACS-WIHS Combined Cohort Study.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms among people living with HIV (PLWH) are not well described.

Setting: Longitudinal survey within the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS) of PLWH compared with similar HIV-seronegative (SN) individuals.

Methods: Telephone-administered survey of MWCCS participants at 13 clinical research sites across the United States addressing COVID-19 symptoms, SARS-CoV-2 testing, and pandemic impact on social distancing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) use.

Influenza and other respiratory viral infections associated with absence from school among schoolchildren in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA: a cohort study.

Background: Information on the etiology and age-specific burden of respiratory viral infections among school-aged children remains limited. Though school aged children are often recognized as driving the transmission of influenza as well as other respiratory viruses, little detailed information is available on the distribution of respiratory infections among children of different ages within this group. Factors other than age including gender and time spent in school may also be important in determining risk of infection but have been little studied in this age group.

B Lymphocytes, but Not Dendritic Cells, Efficiently HIV-1 Infect Naive CD4 T Cells: Implications for the Viral Reservoir.

Insight into the establishment and maintenance of HIV-1 infection in resting CD4 T cell subsets is critical for the development of therapeutics targeting the HIV-1 reservoir. Although the frequency of HIV-1 infection, as quantified by the frequency of HIV-1 DNA, is lower in CD4 naive T cells (T) than in the memory T cell subsets, recent studies have shown that T harbor a large pool of replication-competent virus. Interestingly, however, T are highly resistant to direct () HIV-1 infection , in particular to R5-tropic HIV-1, as T do not express CCR5.

Outcomes of acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) in HIV infection with and without HBV-active antiretroviral therapy.

Men with acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study from 1985 to 2013 had serological testing to determine proportions with HBV recovery or chronic hepatitis B (CHB). A similar proportion of men without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and men with HIV receiving HBV-active antiretroviral therapy (ART) developed CHB [8.2%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.

Dendritic cells focus CTL responses toward highly conserved and topologically important HIV-1 epitopes.

Background: During early HIV-1 infection, immunodominant T cell responses to highly variable epitopes lead to the establishment of immune escape virus variants. Here we assessed a type 1-polarized monocyte-derived dendritic cell (MDC1)-based approach to selectively elicit cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses against highly conserved and topologically important HIV-1 epitopes in HIV-1-infected individuals from the Thailand RV254/SEARCH 010 cohort who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) during early infection (Fiebig stages I-IV).

Methods: Autologous MDC1 were used as antigen presenting cells to induce in vitro CTL responses against HIV-1 Gag, Pol, Env, and Nef as determined by flow cytometry and ELISpot assay.

COVID-19 symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 infection among people living with HIV in the US: the MACS/WIHS combined cohort study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection among People Living With HIV (PLWH) is not well-described.

Objective: To study COVID-19 symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 PCR-based swab testing among participants of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS).

Methods: A telephone survey was collected April-June 30, 2020.

IL-18 Responsiveness Defines Limitations in Immune Help for Specialized FcRγ NK Cells.

Despite being prolific innate killers, NK cells are also key helper cells in antiviral defense, influencing adaptive immune responses via interactions with dendritic cells (DCs). In addition to causing NK cell dysfunction, HIV-1 infection contributes to the expansion of a rare population of NK cells deficient in FcRγ (FcRγ), an intracellular adaptor protein that associates with CD16. The implications of this inflated NK cell subset in treated HIV-1 infection remain unclear.

Selective Decay of Intact HIV-1 Proviral DNA on Antiretroviral Therapy.

Background: HIV-1 proviruses persist in people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) but most are defective and do not constitute a replication-competent reservoir. The decay of infected cells carrying intact compared with defective HIV-1 proviruses has not been well defined in people on ART.

Methods: We separately quantified intact and defective proviruses, residual plasma viremia, and markers of inflammation and activation in people on long-term ART.

Third time's a charm: diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis after two negative polymerase chain reaction results.

Introduction: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a sensitive and specific method in diagnosing herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis. However there are increasing reports of false negative HSV PCR.

Case Description: We present a patient in the 9 decade of life with abnormal behavior and focal seizures with MRI showing a right temporal T2 hyperintense non-enhancing lesion with electrographic evidence of right lateralized periodic discharges.